Report on the Results of the 1988 Survey of Telecourse Students. Research Report Number 54.

Livieratos, Barbara B.

In 1988, a study was conducted at Howard Community College (HCC) to determine the educational goals, viewing patterns, and level of satisfaction of telecourse students. Questionnaires were administered during the last on-campus class meeting, requesting information on students' reasons for attending college, their sources of information about the telecourse, influences on their decision to take a telecourse, their interest in using a computer and modem to communicate with the instructor, use of library tapes to view the telecourse, students' personal characteristics, and suggestions for improvement. Study findings, based on responses from 54% of the 311 students enrolled in 21 telecourses in spring 1988, included the following: (1) 76% of the respondents were female, 88% were white, 80% were under 41 years of age, and 82% were employed; (2) 53% of the respondents had never taken a telecourse before; (3) 69% were enrolled in one telecourse, 23% in two, and 8% in three or more; (4) for 49% of the respondents, their primary goal in attending HCC was to transfer to a four-year institution; (5) 36% indicated that they always recorded the course for later viewing, 22% indicated that they usually did so, and 30% said they always or usually watched the course as it was televised; (6) 38% had used the library tapes of the telecourse; (7) 53% expressed interest in using their microcomputer and modem to take exams or communicate with the instructors; and (8) 77% rated "lacked time for regular class attendance" as a "very important" reason for taking the telecourse. The survey instrument is appended. (AAZC)